Colour marking metal surfaces

ABSTRACT

Apparatus related to marking a metal surface are provided. The solution comprises receiving ( 600 ) control data comprising information on the marking of a pattern on the metal surface; controlling ( 604, 606 ) a temperature control unit and a gas unit to produce a temperature and atmosphere in space under a cover on the basis of the control data; controlling ( 602 ) the focus and bandwidth of a laser marking unit on the basis of the control data to produce the pattern defined in the control data on the metal surface; and controlling ( 608 ) a coating unit on the basis of the control data to produce a coating on the metal surface.

FIELD

The exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of the invention relategenerally to marking or colouring steel surfaces.

BACKGROUND

The following description of background art may include insights,discoveries, understandings or disclosures, or associations togetherwith disclosures not known to the relevant art prior to the presentinvention but provided by the invention. Some of such contributions ofthe invention may be specifically pointed out below, whereas other suchcontributions of the invention will be apparent from their context.

Metal or steel surfaces are in many applications marked or coloured withvarious marks or colours. The purpose may be esthetical or sometimes thepurpose is to protect the surface. A common method for colouring metalsurfaces is to use paints, adhesive labels, etching or electrolyticcolouring. These methods are very limited and the processes are notflexible. This applies especially applications where different markingsare required on the metal surfaces. The markings and colours are notdurable. In addition, the methods may involve the use of paints andsolvents which are harmful to environment.

Marking small steel surfaces with a laser beam has been known for a fewyears in laboratory environments. However, practical applications of theknown techniques have not been proposed and the obtained markings aresimple.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order toprovide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. Thissummary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is notintended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or todelineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to presentsome concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to amore detailed description that is presented later.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided anapparatus for marking a metal surface, comprising: a bed for an objectcomprising a metal surface, a cover forming an airtight space over thebed, a laser marking unit capable of forming a laser beam onto the metalsurface, a gas unit for controlling the atmosphere of the space underthe cover, a coating unit for producing a coating on the metal surface,a temperature control unit for controlling the temperature of the spaceunder the cover, at least one processor; and at least one memoryincluding computer program code, the at least one memory and thecomputer program code configured to, with the at least one processor,cause the apparatus at least to perform: receive from a remote computercontrol data comprising parameters to create a pattern on the metalsurface; control the temperature control unit and the gas unit toproduce a temperature and atmosphere in space under the cover on thebasis of the parameters; control the focus and bandwidth of the lasermarking unit on the basis of the parameters to produce the pattern onthe metal surface; and control the coating unit on the basis of theparameters to produce a coating on the metal surface.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda controlling apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and atleast one memory including computer program code, the at least onememory and the computer program code configured to, with the at leastone processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: obtain a filecomprising an image; determine information on differently coloured areasof the image; determine information on colours in the image; obtaininformation on the properties of the surface of the object to be marked;determine information on order in which the areas of the image withdifferent colours are to be marked; determine parameters for a lasermarking apparatus on the basis of the determined and obtainedinformation; store determined parameters in a marking file.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a computer program product embodied on a distribution mediumreadable by a computer and comprising program instructions which, whenloaded into an apparatus, execute steps comprising: obtain a filecomprising an image; determine information on areas of the image withdifferent colours; determine information on colours in the image; obtaininformation on the properties of the surface of the object to be marked;determine information on order in which the areas of the image withdifferent colours are to be marked; determine parameters for a lasermarking apparatus on the basis of the determined and obtainedinformation; and store determined information in a marking file.

Embodiments of the invention provide several advantages. The markingsrealized with the embodiments are very durable against wear andcorrosion. Practically any multicolour graphical image may be markedonto a metal or steel surface. In general, a metal surface may be mattedon shining or have other variable properties. In an embodiment, themarking process leaves these properties and surface quality of the metalsurface visible regardless of the marking. The objects to be marked arenot limited to small size metal plates but may be applied to objectshaving challenging geometrical shapes.

LIST OF DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention are described below, by way ofexample only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an apparatus for marking or colouringsteel surfaces;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example a laser marking system;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example a controlling apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the determination ofcontrol information;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are flowcharts illustrating embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic example of an apparatus suitable formarking or colouring objects having metal or steel surfaces. It shouldbe understood that the apparatus is depicted herein as an exampleillustrating some embodiments. It is apparent to a person skilled in theart that the apparatus may also comprise other functions and/orstructures and not all described functions and structures are required.The figure is purely schematic and the actual location of the units of arealized apparatus may be different as one skilled in the art is aware.The apparatus comprises a controller unit or control circuitry 100. Thecontroller unit or control circuitry is typically realized with at leastone processor; and at least one memory 101 including computer programcode, the at least one memory and the computer program code configuredto control the operation of the apparatus. The controller unit orcontrol circuitry 100 may comprise an input/output unit 102 either as aseparate device as illustrated or integrated with the controller unit100. The input/output unit 102 may comprise a keyboard, a display, andother input and output devices known in the art. The controller unit 100may further comprise a communication interface 104 either as a separatedevice as illustrated or integrated with the controller unit 100. Thecommunication interface 104 may communicate with other devices viaInternet, for example. The communication interface 104 may be a wired orwireless network interface, a modem or any other suitable interfaceknown on the art.

The apparatus further comprises an arrangement 106 for directing a laserbeam to an object to be marked. The apparatus comprises a bed 108 onwhich an object comprising a metal surface to be marked may be placed.In an embodiment, a cover 110 is configured to form an airtight space112 surrounding the bed 106.

The apparatus further comprises a laser beam generator 114 configured togenerate a laser beam. The laser beam is directed to the object to bemarked using a laser marking unit 116. The laser marking unit 116 maycomprise one or more heads emitting laser beams.

The beam generator generates a laser beam which is transferred using afibre or an optical path to a marking unit. The marking unit directs thelaser beam to the object to be marked. The direction may be utilisedusing mirrors, optical fibres, lens systems or scanning optics, forexample.

The controller unit 100 is configured to control 118 the operation ofthe beam generator 114 and the marking unit 116.

The apparatus further comprises a gas unit 120 for controlling theatmosphere of the space 112 under the cover and a temperature controlunit 122 configured to control the temperature of the space under thecover by either heating or cooling. Both units are controlled by thecontrolling unit 100.

In an embodiment, the apparatus comprises a coating unit 124 forproducing a coating on the metal surface on the bed under the control ofthe controlling unit 100.

The laser marking process requires determining the operation parametersfor the different units of the above apparatus. The beam generator 114requires parameters for generating a laser beam with suitableproperties, The marking unit 116 requires parameters for controlling anddirecting the laser beam, the gas unit 120 requires information onrequired atmosphere, the temperature controlling unit 122 requiresparameters for controlling the temperatures at different phases of themarking process and finally the coating unit 124 requires information fia coating is desired and the type of coating.

The control of the units may depend on the required marking. Forexample, if a given image is to be marked on a metal surface, the imageis to be analysed so that the beam generator and marking unit may becontrolled. In addition, the properties of the object, such as thequality of the metal surface may be taken into account.

In an embodiment, the apparatus comprises automatic or semi-automaticmechanics (not shown in the schematic FIG. 1) to switch or changeobjects to be marked on the bed 108. The mechanics may be under thecontrol of the controller unit or control circuitry 100. In anembodiment, the objects are changed manually.

The operation of the apparatus of FIG. 1 will be explained in detailbelow.

In an embodiment, the above analysis and control may be performed by thecontrolling unit 100. In another embodiment, a separate controllingdevice may be utilised. The separate controlling device may determinesuitable control parameters and send the control information to theapparatus utilising the interface 104.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example a laser marking system comprising aseparate controlling apparatus and one or more apparatuses for marking ametal surface as illustrated in FIG. 1, the apparatuses beingoperatively connected with each other via a server in the Internet.

The system comprises a controlling unit or apparatus 200, and one ormore installations of laser marking apparatuses 202, 204, 206, eachinstallation comprising one or more laser marking apparatuses. In theexample of FIG. 2, installation 202 comprises two laser markingapparatuses, installation 204 one laser marking apparatus andinstallation 206 three laser marking apparatuses.

In an embodiment, the controlling unit or apparatus 200 is connected toa server 208 in the Internet. The installations and laser markingapparatuses of the installations are likewise connected to the server208. The controlling apparatus may control the operation of the lasermarking apparatuses via the server 208.

In an embodiment, the server 208 may be replaced with a cloud service210, i.e. a server service offered by an external operator, for example.

A separate controlling unit 200 simplifies the use of the laser markingdevices. Determining the control information required by the lasermarking apparatuses may be a task demanding special knowledge some smallmanufacturers are not ready to acquire. In the example of FIG. 2, thethree installations 202, 204, 206 may be at different locations andowned by different manufacturers. They may utilise the laser markingapparatuses in the manufacture of their own products. The products maybe marked, decorated or coloured by the laser marking apparatuses.However, the control information required by the apparatuses may besupplied by the controlling unit 200 of a fourth vendor, for example themanufacturer of the laser marking apparatuses. The three manufacturersmay send information on the desired marking (for example an image) tothe controlling unit 200 via the server 208 or cloud service 210. Therequired control data is determined by the controlling unit 200 and sentback to the installations 202, 204, 206.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example a controlling unit or apparatus 200. Thecontrolling apparatus comprises a controller or control circuitry 300typically but not necessarily realized with at least one processor. Theapparatus further comprises at least one memory 302 including computerprogram code.

The apparatus further comprises user interface 304 typically including adisplay, a keyboard or respective input device, a mouse or other deviceknown in the art.

The apparatus further comprises an interface 306 configured to connectthe apparatus to other devices and networks such as Internet. Theapparatus may be connected to a scanner, for example. The interface mayrealize wired or wireless connections or both.

The apparatus may further comprise a connection to a database 308 wheresome data useful for determining control information may be stored.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the invention. Thisexample illustrates the determination of the control informationrequired in the laser marking process performed by the laser markingapparatus of FIG. 1. The steps of this example may be performed by thecontrolling apparatus 200 of FIG. 3 or by the controller of theapparatus of FIG. 1. In an embodiment, suitable software may be run inan apparatus to perform the steps.

The embodiment starts at step 400.

In step 402, the apparatus is configured to obtain a file comprising animage. The image is to be marked on the metal surface of an object. Inan embodiment, the image may be obtained through the user interface 304,or interface 306 from an outside network (email, for example). The imagefile may in any electrical format such as jpg (Joint Photographicexperts Group), tiff (Tagged Image File Format), eps (EncapsulatedPostScript), doc (Microsoft Word document, for example.

In an embodiment, the image may be obtained through the interface 306 asa scanned image.

In step 404, the apparatus is configured to determine differentlycoloured areas of the image. The apparatus may be configured to analysethe image file and determine one or more continuous area having the samefill colour.

In step 406, the apparatus is configured to determine the colours of theimage. The steps 404 and 406 may be performed simultaneously. Indetermining the areas and colours some threshold values may be used whenseparating colours from each other.

In step 408, the apparatus is configured to obtain information on theobject or objects to be marked using the laser marking process. Thematerial, quality of the surface and thickness of the surface may havean effect on the parameters. For example, a steel surface may havenumerous different properties depending on the manufacturer of the steeland the purpose the steel was manufactured for. In addition, some steelsurfaces have been standardized. Thus, a given steel type denoted with agiven identification is known to have given predetermined properties.For example, the following table illustrates the number and name of somesteel types which have been standardized in the standard SFS-EN10088-2:N.

TABLE 1 Standard No Standard Name 1.4016 X6Cr17 1.4512 X6CrTi12 1.4372X5CrNiMn17-5-6.5 1.4310 X10CrNi18-8 1.4318 X2CrNiN18-7 1.4307 X2CrNi18-91.4306 X2CrNi19-11 1.4311 X2CrNiN18-10 1.4301 X5CrNi18-10 1.4948X6CrNi18-11 1.4303 X5CrNi18 12 1.4541 X6CrNiTi18-10 1.4878 X12CrNiTi18-91.4404 X2CrNiMo17-12-2 1.4401 X5CrNiMo17-12-2 1.4406 X2CrNiMoN17-12-21.4432 X2CrNiMo17-12-3 1.4435 X2CrNiMo18-14-3 1.4436 X3CrNiMo17-13-31.4571 X6CrNiMoTi17-12-2 1.4429 X2CrNiMoN17-13-3 1.4438 X2CrNiMo18-15-41.4539 X1NiCrMoCu25-20-5

The following table illustrates examples of some standardized steelsurfaces according to the standard SFS-EN 10088-2:N. Each surface typehas been given a name or abbreviation which is illustrated in the table.

TABLE 2 Abbreviation 1E 1D 2H 2C 2E 2D 2B 2R 2Q 1G or 2G 1J or 2J 1K or2K 1P or 2P 2F

The tables above are merely illustrative examples. Embodiments of theinvention are not limited to above mentioned steel types. Also othertypes of steel and metal in general may be marked.

For example, electrolytically polished or coloured steel surfaces aresuitable for laser marking. These surfaced may be decorated withmarkings and colours. In addition, laser marking may be utilised onelectrolytically polished or coloured steel surfaces to obtain morecolours and colour layers. In addition, titanium or alloys of titaniumand aluminium may be marked.

In an embodiment, the apparatus may query the information from a userusing the user interface 304. In an embodiment, the information may beobtained from the same source as the image file.

In step 410, the apparatus is configured to determine the order thedifferently coloured areas of the image will be processed.

In step 412, the apparatus is configured to determine parameters for themarking process. The parameters may comprise control information for thelaser beam forming, the temperature, the atmosphere and the coating ofthe object after the laser marking.

In an embodiment, the apparatus may be configured to select preinstalledparameter values from a data base 308 connected to the apparatus. Forexample, the data base may comprise predetermined parameter values for agiven material and given surface type.

In an embodiment, the parameters for the laser marking device aredetermined separately for each differently coloured area of the image.

In an embodiment, factors having an effect on the parameters of a givenarea may comprise the colour of the area, the size of the area, thecolour of adjacent areas and the order in which the areas are marked,the material, quality and thickness of the surface.

Each area or each colour may require different temperature. Thus, thetemperature values may be required to change over the marking process.

The atmosphere has an effect on the marking process. The parameters maycomprise information on required gas content.

In an embodiment, the parameters stored in the data base are selectedbased on empirical studies.

In an embodiment, in step 414, the apparatus is configured to allow amanual adjustment of the determined parameter values. For example, theapparatus may display the selected values on a display.

In step 416, the apparatus is configured to create the controlinformation comprising the determined parameters. The controlinformation may be stored in a data file.

In an embodiment, the laser beam control parameters, the atmosphereparameters, the temperature parameters and coating parameters may beinitially stored in separate files and combined to a single file.

The process ends in step 418.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the invention. Thisexample illustrates the operation of system of FIG. 2.

The embodiment starts at step 500.

In step 502, the controlling apparatus 200 is configured to prepare thecontrol information as described in FIG. 4, for example.

In step 504, the controlling apparatus 200 is configured to send thecontrol information to the server 208 or to a cloud service 210.

In step 506, a laser marking apparatus of an installation, sayinstallation 206, is configured to retrieve control information from theserver 208 or the cloud service 210.

In an embodiment, the server 208 or cloud service 210 is configured tostore the control information or several sets of control information fordifferent marking processes for future use. A laser marking apparatusmay be configured to retrieve currently required control informationwhich has been prepared beforehand and stored in the server 208 or cloudservice 210.

In step 508, the laser marking apparatus is configured to initialize amarking process. The initialization may comprise prompting a user toprepare suitable gases in the gas unit and setting units to be markedready for marking, for example.

In step 510, the laser marking apparatus is configured to perform themarking process according to the control information. The markingprocess may comprise the marking of several objects. The switching ofthe objects may be automatic or semi-automatic or manual depending onthe realization of the laser marking apparatus.

The process ends in step 512.

FIG. 6 is another chart illustrating an example embodiment of theinvention. The operation of the laser marking apparatus of FIG. 1 isillustrated.

The controller unit or control circuitry 100 of a laser markingapparatus has as an input the control information 600 which is eithergenerated by a controller and received from a network server or cloudservice or generated at the marking apparatus. In addition, the controlinformation may be received in part from the network and generated inpart at the apparatus.

The controller unit or control circuitry is configured to sendparameters 602 related to the laser beam generation and control to themarking unit 116. The parameters comprise the wavelength, and power of alaser beam, the beam diameter of a laser beam, driving angle and beamdensity of the laser beam and the number of laser scans to be performed,for example. Some non-limiting examples of possible values areillustrated in Table 3.

TABLE 3 Parameter Example values Beam diameter 0.01 mm-10 mm Filldensity 0.01 mm-10 mm Number of laser scans 1-20 Power 5-900 WWavelength 193-10600 nm Focus from 0-point −200-200 mm Driving angle−180-180 deg Pulse frequency 1-400 kHz Pulse duration 1 ns-12 s

In some situations, it may be advantageous to utilise laser in such amanner that the laser hits the steel surface a given distance from0-point, i.e. the point of largest energy density. The parameter Focusfrom 0-point illustrates this parameter.

Pulsating lasers may also be utilised. With a pulsating laser it ispossible to obtain greater maximum powers than with a continuous laser.

The controller unit or control circuitry is configured to sendparameters 604 related to the temperature control to the temperatureunit 122.

The parameters comprise one or more required temperature values ofatmosphere surrounding the laser marking device and the object to bemarked during a marking process, and one or more time intervals, thetemperature being independently controlled during each interval. Somenon-limiting examples of possible values are illustrated in Table 4.

TABLE 4 Parameter Example values Preheating 4-190 C. Constant heat 4-330C. Afterheat 4-190 C.

In Table 4, preheating denotes the temperature before the actual markingprocess, Constant heat the temperature during the actual marking processand Afterheat the temperature after actual marking process. The givenvalues are examples only. There may be more intervals during theprocess.

The controller unit or control circuitry is configured to sendparameters 606 related to the atmosphere control to the gas unit 120.The parameter indicates the desired gas content of the space surroundingthe object to be marked. The gas content may comprise one or more gases.Examples of possible gases comprise argon, helium, oxygen, carbondioxide, air and mixtures of these.

The controller unit or control circuitry is further configured to sendparameters 608 related to the coating control to the coating unit 124.Typically, the coating is a nano coating or epoxy coating having athickness of 0.01 to 0.5 mm.

The parameters for the laser marking device may be determined andapplied separately for each area of the image with different colours.

In general, markings created using a laser beam are based on theoxidation effect created by the laser beam. Applying several lasersweeps over a surface several oxidized layers may be created on thesurface of an object. When viewed from a distance the oxidized layershave an effect on how light reflects from the surface. Differentlyoxidized layers produce different reflections and are seen as differentcolours. However, the strength and structure of the surface remains thesame. Thus, the strength of a steel surface remains resistant to wear,for example.

By determining the laser beam properties carefully and applying beamcontrol multi-coloured markings may be created.

Applying different gases and temperatures during the beam sweeps theresult may be further adjusted as desired.

In an embodiment, the marking unit transmitting the laser beam or beamscomprise a sensing unit configured to determine the outline of theobject to be marked. In an embodiment, the sensing unit may be based onoptical sensors and it can thus control the marking unit to follow theoutlines of a three-dimensional object. This way the object to be markedneed not be flat but it may have any physical shape.

In an embodiment, the bed 108 may comprise a rotational unit which mayrotate the object to be marked. This applies especially tocylinder-shaped objects. In an embodiment, the marking unit is movable.In an embodiment, the lens system of the marking unit is configured todirect the beam to the object according to the optical sensors.

The steps and related functions described in the above and attachedfigures are in no absolute chronological order, and some of the stepsmay be performed simultaneously or in an order differing from the givenone. Other functions can also be executed between the steps or withinthe steps. Some of the steps can also be left out or replaced with acorresponding step.

The apparatuses or controllers able to perform the above-described stepsmay be implemented at least in part as an electronic digital computer,or a circuitry which may comprise a working memory (RAM), a centralprocessing unit (CPU), and a system clock. The CPU may comprise a set ofregisters, an arithmetic logic unit, and a controller. The controller orthe circuitry is controlled by a sequence of program instructionstransferred to the CPU from the RAM. The controller may contain a numberof microinstructions for basic operations. The implementation ofmicroinstructions may vary depending on the CPU design. The programinstructions may be coded by a programming language, which may be ahigh-level programming language, such as C, Java, etc., or a low-levelprogramming language, such as a machine language, or an assembler. Theelectronic digital computer may also have an operating system, which mayprovide system services to a computer program written with the programinstructions.

As used in this application, the term ‘circuitry’ refers to all of thefollowing: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations, such asimplementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry, and (b)combinations of circuits and software (and/or firmware), such as (asapplicable): (i) a combination of processor(s) or (ii) portions ofprocessor(s)/software including digital signal processor(s), software,and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus to performvarious functions, and (c) circuits, such as a microprocessor(s) or aportion of a microprocessor(s), that require software or firmware foroperation, even if the software or firmware is not physically present.

This definition of ‘circuitry’ applies to all uses of this term in thisapplication. As a further example, as used in this application, the term‘circuitry’ would also cover an implementation of merely a processor (ormultiple processors) or a portion of a processor and its (or their)accompanying software and/or firmware. The term ‘circuitry’ would alsocover, for example and if applicable to the particular element, abaseband integrated circuit or applications processor integrated circuitfor a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a server, acellular network device, or another network device.

An embodiment provides a computer program embodied on a distributionmedium, comprising program instructions which, when loaded into anelectronic apparatus, are configured to control the apparatus to executethe embodiments described above.

The computer program may be in source code form, object code form, or insome intermediate form, and it may be stored in some sort of carrier,which may be any entity or device capable of carrying the program. Suchcarriers include a record medium, computer memory, read-only memory, anda software distribution package, for example. Depending on theprocessing power needed, the computer program may be executed in asingle electronic digital computer or it may be distributed amongst anumber of computers.

The apparatus may also be implemented as one or more integratedcircuits, such as application-specific integrated circuits ASIC. Otherhardware embodiments are also feasible, such as a circuit built ofseparate logic components. A hybrid of these different implementationsis also feasible. When selecting the method of implementation, a personskilled in the art will consider the requirements set for the size andpower consumption of the apparatus, the necessary processing capacity,production costs, and production volumes, for example.

It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technologyadvances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. Theinvention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples describedabove but may vary within the scope of the claim.

1. An apparatus for marking a metal surface, comprising: a bed for anobject comprising a metal surface; a cover forming an airtight spaceover the bed; a laser marking unit capable of forming a laser beam ontothe metal surface; a gas unit for controlling the atmosphere of thespace under the cover; a coating unit for producing a coating on themetal surface; a temperature control unit for controlling thetemperature of the space under the cover; at least one processor; and atleast one memory including computer program code, wherein the at leastone memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the atleast one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive from aremote computer control data comprising parameters to create a patternon the metal surface; control the temperature control unit and the gasunit to produce a temperature and atmosphere in space under the cover onthe basis of the parameters; control the focus and bandwidth of thelaser marking unit on the basis of the parameters to produce the patternon the metal surface; and control the coating unit on the basis of theparameters to produce a coating on the metal surface.
 2. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the gas unit is configured to fill the space underthe cover with a gas defined in the control data.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 1, the coating unit being configured to spray a selected coatingon the metal surface on the basis of the control data.
 4. The apparatusof claim 1, the temperature control unit being configured to control thetemperature in one or more time intervals, the temperature beingindependently controlled during each interval.
 5. The apparatus of claim1, the apparatus comprising a communication interface configured toobtain control data comprising parameters to create a pattern on themetal surface from a server connected to Internet.
 6. A controllingapparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memoryincluding computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and thecomputer program code are configured to, with the at least oneprocessor, cause the apparatus at least to: obtain a file comprising animage; determine information on differently coloured areas of the image;determine information on colours in the image; obtain information on theproperties of the surface of the object to be marked; determineinformation on order in which the areas of the image with differentcolours are to be marked; determine parameters for a laser markingapparatus on the basis of the determined and obtained information; andstore determined parameters in a marking file.
 7. The apparatus of claim6, wherein the parameters for the laser marking apparatus are determinedseparately for each area of the image with different colours.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein the parameters for the laser markingapparatus comprise the wavelength, and power of a laser beam.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein the parameters for the laser markingapparatus comprise the beam diameter of a laser beam, driving angle andbeam density of the laser beam and the number of laser scans to beperformed.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus isconfigured to determine one or more values for the parameters for thelaser marking apparatus, and time instant when one or more values arechanged during marking process.
 11. The apparatus of claim 6, whereinthe information on the object to be marked comprise the material of theobject and surface quality and thickness of the object.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is configured to: determinethe size of each differently coloured area of the image; and take thedetermined sizes and the order in which the areas of the images are tobe marked into account when determining parameters for the laser markingapparatus.
 13. The apparatus of claim 6, further configured to: receiveinformation on the one or more required temperature values of atmospheresurrounding the laser marking apparatus and the object to be markedduring a marking process, and one or more time intervals, thetemperature being independently controlled during each interval; andstore the information to a temperature control file.
 14. The apparatusof claim 6, further configured to: receive information on a gas requiredto surround the laser marking apparatus and the object to be markedduring a marking process; and store the information to a gas controlfile.
 15. The apparatus of claim 6, further configured to: receiveinformation on a coating required to be sprayed on the object to bemarked after the marking process; and store the information to a coatingcontrol file.
 16. The apparatus of claim 6, the apparatus comprising acommunication interface configured to transmit one or more control filesto an apparatus for marking a metal surface.
 17. The apparatus of claim6 the apparatus comprising a communication interface configured totransmit one or more control files to a server connected to theInternet.
 18. A laser marking system, comprising: one or moreapparatuses for marking a metal surface, each apparatus for marking ametal surface comprising: a bed for an object comprising a metalsurface; a cover forming an airtight space over the bed; a laser markingunit capable of forming a laser beam onto the metal surface; a gas unitfor controlling the atmosphere of the space under the cover; a coatingunit for producing a coating on the metal surface; a temperature controlunit for controlling the temperature of the space under the cover; atleast one processor; and at least one memory including computer programcode, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code areconfigured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus atleast to: receive from a remote computer control data comprisingparameters to create a pattern on the metal surface; control thetemperature control unit and the gas unit to produce a temperature andatmosphere in space under the cover on the basis of the parameters;control the focus and bandwidth of the laser marking unit on the basisof the parameters to produce the pattern on the metal surface; andcontrol the coating unit on the basis of the parameters to produce acoating on the metal surface; and the controlling apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the apparatus for marking a metal surface and thecontrolling apparatus are operatively connected with each other via aserver in the Internet.
 19. A computer program product embodied on anon-transitory distribution medium readable by a computer and comprisingprogram instructions which, when loaded into an apparatus, execute stepscomprising: obtain a file comprising an image; determine information onareas of the image with different colours; determine information oncolours in the image; obtain information on the properties of thesurface of the object to be marked; determine information on order inwhich the areas of the image with different colours are to be marked;determine parameters for a laser marking apparatus on the basis of thedetermined and obtained information; and store determined information ina marking file.
 20. The apparatus of claim 2, the coating unit beingconfigured to spray a selected coating on the metal surface on the basisof the control data.